CME Group Awards $125,000 to 25 Star Scholars Graduating from City Colleges of Chicago to Pursue Four-Year Degrees

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CME Group has awarded $125,000 in scholarships to 25 City Colleges of Chicago graduates, with each recipient receiving $5,000 to pursue their bachelor's degrees. The recipients, selected from over 380 Star Scholars who completed their associate degrees with a GPA of 3.0 or higher in spring 2025, will all transfer to Star university partners. Since 2017, CME Group has contributed over $1 million to the Star Scholars program, which has helped approximately 20,000 CPS and Big Shoulders Fund high school graduates pursue debt-free associate degrees.

During the 2024-2025 academic year, more than 1,000 Star Scholars completed their associate degrees, representing over 25% of the graduating class. The scholarship program, which evolved from the CME Group Mayoral Award for Student Achievement established in 1986, continues to provide crucial financial support for Chicago's future leaders.

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CHICAGO, May 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, is awarding 25 City Colleges of Chicago graduates with $5,000 scholarships as they move on to earn Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degrees.

Since 2017, CME Group has partnered with the Mayor's office to support the Star Scholars program, contributing over $1 million to help graduates who have earned an associates degree at a Chicago City College achieve their higher education goals at four-year institutions. The program evolved from the CME Group Mayoral Award for Student Achievement, which began in 1986, providing millions in financial support to high-achieving Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students to pursue college degrees.

"We are pleased to recognize the academic achievements of the Star Scholars as they continue to work hard to pursue higher education," said CME Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy. "These scholarships provide critical financial assistance to future Chicago leaders so they can explore learning opportunities that can help lead to rewarding careers."

"We sincerely thank CME Group for the generous scholarships supporting our Star Scholars as they continue their educational journeys. After a debt-free start at City Colleges of Chicago, our Star Scholars will use this scholarship to ease the financial burden of a bachelor's degree along their pathway to upward mobility," said Chancellor Juan Salgado, City Colleges of Chicago.

This year's scholarship recipients were selected from more than 380 Star Scholars who completed their associate degrees in spring 2025 with a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Notably, 100% of this year's recipients intend to transfer to one of the 26 Star university partners in fall 2025 to pursue a bachelor's degree.

Scholarship winners were recognized by CME Group President and Chief Financial Officer Lynne Fitzpatrick, Deputy Mayor for Education and Youth Khari Humphries, and Chief of Staff and Advancement and President of the City Colleges of Chicago Foundation Veronica Herrero at a celebratory luncheon and education seminar on Thursday, May 29, 2025 at CME Group headquarters in Chicago.

The Star Scholarship program at City Colleges of Chicago has helped approximately 20,000 CPS and Big Shoulders Fund high school graduates pursue their associate degrees debt-free. During the academic year 2024-2025, more than 1,000 Star Scholars completed their associate degrees, making up over one-fourth of the graduating class of 2025.

For more information on the Star Scholarship at City Colleges of Chicago, visit www.ccc.edu/starscholarship.

As the world's leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals.  The company offers futures and options on futures trading through the CME Globex platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform.  In addition, it operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing. 

CME Group, the Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Globex, and E-mini are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc.  CBOT and Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc.  NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc.  COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. BrokerTec is a trademark of BrokerTec Americas LLC and EBS is a trademark of EBS Group LTD. The S&P 500 Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC ("S&P DJI"). "S&P®", "S&P 500®", "SPY®", "SPX®", US 500 and The 500 are trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC; Dow Jones®, DJIA® and Dow Jones Industrial Average are service and/or trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. These trademarks have been licensed for use by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Futures contracts based on the S&P 500 Index are not sponsored, endorsed, marketed, or promoted by S&P DJI, and S&P DJI makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

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SOURCE CME Group

FAQ

How much did CME Group award in scholarships to City Colleges of Chicago graduates in 2025?

CME Group awarded $125,000 in total, providing $5,000 scholarships to 25 City Colleges of Chicago graduates.

How many Star Scholars have benefited from City Colleges of Chicago's program?

Approximately 20,000 CPS and Big Shoulders Fund high school graduates have benefited from the Star Scholars program, pursuing debt-free associate degrees.

What is the minimum GPA requirement for CME Group's Star Scholars scholarship recipients?

Recipients must have completed their associate degrees with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

How much has CME Group contributed to the Star Scholars program since 2017?

CME Group has contributed over $1 million to the Star Scholars program since 2017.

What percentage of the 2025 graduating class were Star Scholars at City Colleges of Chicago?

Over one-fourth (25%) of the 2025 graduating class were Star Scholars, with more than 1,000 completing their associate degrees.